How Does The Police System Work in Porto?

Even if you plan for every possible problem and account for every possible mistake, it still happens that you find yourself in an emergency, and you need the police to help you.

For that, it’s good to know how the police system works in Porto and the rest of Portugal.

This is why we put together this short overview of the police system and emergency numbers in Porto so that your few months living in the city can be as worry-free as possible.

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The PSP and the GNR - Portugal’s dual policing system

Portugal has a slightly different policing system than most countries - a dual policing system with two national units:

Polícia de Segurança Pública
Guarda Nacional Republicana

The PSP is essentially a regular police force. It is accountable to civil courts and is headed by the minister of internal affairs. It does the usual street-level policing as well as larger national investigations.

However, its jurisdiction is limited to larger cities like Lisbon, Porto, etc.

This means that while PSP polices about 50% of the population, it only covers about 4% of Portugal’s area. The GNR is a bit different.

Firstly, it is a paramilitary outfit, meaning that it is accountable to military courts and is headed by the defence minister. Secondly, its jurisdiction covers the rest of Portugal, so while it also gets about half of the population, it covers 96% of Portugal’s area.

This system has been criticized, among others, by both PSP and GNR themselves. Their problem with the division is that it makes communicating between the two police departments much harder, making it harder for them to do their job.

Emergency Numbers in Porto - 112

If you’re in an emergency, there is at least one piece of good news. You don’t need to remember complex numbers. In Portugal, as well as in the rest of the European Union, there is a single emergency number: 112.

By calling 112, you reach an operator who will listen to your emergency and connect you to the department that is best suited to helping you (sometimes the operator will communicate with these departments on their own). 112 does not just connect you to the police but all other emergency services in the country.

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Other emergency numbers still exist, like 117 for forest fires or the national social emergency line 144. But for the most part, 112 will get you the help you need.

With this, your stay in Porto should be safe and prone to any significant problems.